Environment

MOU for a green, clean Pacific

The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding today to support Pacific Island countries' commitment towards environmental stewardship and sustainable growth. Picture: SUPPLIED/SPREP   By WANSOLWARA STAFF A new partnership to support and steer Pacific Island countries towards environmental stewardship and sustainable growth was sealed between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) after a Memorandum of Understanding was signed today on the sidelines of the 2018 Clean Pacific Roundtable in Suva this week. …

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Youths rise for ‘Pacific Pawa’

School students show their support for Rise for Pacific Pawa campaign at the 2018 USP Open Day. Picture: SUPPLIED   By VIRASHNA SINGH September 8, 2018 was the global day of action for 350.Org. The organization planned to hold thousands of rallies in countries around the world to urge the local leaders to commit to building a fossil fuel free world that puts people before profits. “350.Org is a global climate movement that brings together leaders from grassroots, from frontline communities that are working to publically stigmatize the fossil fuel industry," said Fenton Lutunatabua, the Pacific communications and regional co-ordinator. The…

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Mojo workshop broadens learning experience

USP journalism students and Internews Earth Journalism Network's Imelda Abano, far left, with residents of Korova settlement along Queen Elizabeth Drive in Suva. Picture: WANSOLWARA STAFF   By KAELYN DEKARUBE Internews’ Earth Journalism Network (EJN) and  The University of the South Pacific’s Journalism Programme  teamed up to host a one-day workshop on mobile journalism for environmental reporting at the Laucala campus in Suva this week. More than 25 journalism students participated in the workshop, which introduced students to the principles and techniques of using mobile phones to produce video news stories on environmental and climate change issues. Internews Earth Journalism…

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Students push for ban on plastics

A 2015 study by a scientific working group at UC Santa Barbara’s National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) revealed that every year, eight million metric tons of plastic end up in our oceans. Picture: Flickr   By EMI KOROITANOA STUDENTS at The University of the South Pacific in Suva are rallying their support behind the Government's proposed ban on plastic bags rather than imposing an increase in plastic bag levies. The move comes after Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, in his 2018-2019 National Budget address, said Government was working towards the complete ban on plastic bags in Fiji by …

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A journey of change for duo

  By KRITIKA RUKMANI A BIG part of journalism is creating a platform for storytelling. And for Hele Ikimotu, this platform can be used to highlight issues that a lot of people choose not to talk about – like climate change for instance. Ikimotu and fellow postgraduate student, Blessen Tom, from the Pacific Media Centre were in Fiji recently to document the devastating effects of climate change in the Pacific as part of their work with the Bearing Witness climate change project. Their two-week journey took them to parts of Fiji adversely affected by climate change, including Rabi Island, where…

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Environmental reporting vital for journalists

Internews EJN content co-ordinator for the Pacific Imelda Abano, left, with EJN Pacific region co-ordinators Geoffrey Smith from Fiji and Ben Isigala Kedoga from Papua New Guinea. Picture: SUPPLIED   By MEREONI MILI VETERAN journalists Netani Rika and Geoffrey Smith spoke of the need to develop environmental reporting in the region during the 5th Pacific Media Summit in Tonga last week. Rika, director of communication for the Pacific Council of Churches, said journalists needed to tell stories of people on the ground who were facing the impact of climate change and…

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Network launched to boost climate reporting

PEJN members and participants of the 5th Pacific Media Summit 2018 during the launch of the network at the Waterfront Hotel in Nuku'alofa, Tonga on Monday. Picture: WANSOLWARA STAFF   By MEREONI MILI in Nuku'alofa, Tonga THE Pacific Environment Journalists Network (PEJN) was officially launched at the Waterfront Hotel in Tonga on Monday in a bid to amplify the message that climate change is real and it’s affecting many Pacific Island nations. The network was founded by 10 journalists from the Pacific that attended COP23 in November last year. Speaking at the launch, Pacific Islands News Association president Moses Stevens…

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USP leads Pacific climate research

As The University of the South Pacific turns 50 this year, two postgraduate students on the Pacific Media Centre’s Bearing Witness climate change project have created three video stories that highlight massive strides the University has made to lead climate change research and efforts in the region. Journalism student Hele Ikimotu and screen production student Blessen Tom arrived in the country last week on a two-week climate change mission to the main island of Viti Levu where they will be interviewing local people who are directly affected by the devastating effects of climate change in the Pacific. Using USP as a base,…

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FNPF releases $5.33m for natural disaster assistance

A spate of tropical cyclones have hit the Fiji Group and other Pacific Islands in the past few months, causing widespread damage and flooding in low-lying areas. Picture: DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION/SUPPLIED   By WANSOLWARA STAFF THE Fiji National Provident Fund has released $5.33 million in flood assistance funds to 6351 members following the aftermath of two recently devastating cyclones that passed through the Fiji Group. Tropical Cyclone Josie and TC Keni brought torrential rain and strong winds, causing massive flooding in most parts of the Western Division and other low-lying areas around the country. FNPF had stepped in to offer…

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USP ‘epoppers’ raise Pacific climate awareness

    By Hele Ikimotu with visuals by Blessen Tom SUVA (Asia Pacific Report/Pacific Media Watch): Ten students from The University of the South Pacific in Suva have captured the effects of climate change on their smartphone devices. The task was organised through an eParticipatory Observers Project (ePOP) workshop last month by members of the ePOP network based in France. The ePOP project was established by RFI Planète Radio, along with the IRD (National French Research Institute for Sustainable Development). The project aims to raise awareness about climate change through videos produced by young people. The workshop at USP was over four days,…

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